Sigma's Crème De Couture Collection

Sigma Crème de Couture Collection includes 1 Eyeshadow Palette (with 16 colors in total) inspired by macaroons with pastel and colorful pigmentation as well as three full-sized blushes (a peachy pink, violet, and pale blush pink color) for $55. This is a great value for these products and would make a wonderful Holiday gift for anyone who loves makeup. The packaging is absolutely delightful, it's reminds me of a high-end candy fantasy, without any of the weight gain and tooth pain!

Sigma Creme de Couture Eyeshadow Palette: These colors pack a really large punch. Costs $44 individually. 

Creme de Couture Eyeshadow Palette Swatches

As you can see, all of the colors were applied without a primer and they swatched very intensely. The lighter pink color an the yellow would pop better with a nude or white primer, but overall, great pigmentation in this set. I especially am a fan of the mint green shade and the blues which are very well done. The color that I would wear the most is the violet purple, which is a shade similar to the violet blush in this collection. For brown eyes, the violets really make them pop, for green eyes, the browns and the violets work well, and for blue eyes, the browns and blues would further accentuate the tone of the eyes.

Creme de Couture Blush Swatches

Blackberry Essence Blush: This color is a velvety lilac, more reminiscent of spring than fall, but it is the ideal color to use purple-based blushes with. This color is not overwhelming, blends beautifully and can be used just as any other blush. Costs $12 individually, or just $4 as part of the collection bundle.

  

Strawberry Ambrosia Blush: Bubble-gum pink is back! Whether you want to use this color as a highlighter above your cheekbones or as a full-on blush for the fair-skinned, it's an absolutely breath-taking color. It gives a matte frosty appearance, perfect for a winter snow bunny. Costs $12 individually, or just $4 as part of the collection bundle.

Cherry Apple Blush: Featuring a matte finish, as with the rest of this collection, this color is a tangerine-infused pink. It's a perfect color for autumn, resembling a plump apricot or leaf turning color. The color is the most flatting for all skintones of the bunch. Costs $12 individually, or just $4 as part of the collection bundle.

I am rarely ever a fan of buying an entire collection, but Sigma did everything right here. All of the colors are matte and wearable, even though they have so much pigmentation, because they are easy to blend and build up or fade out. I am absolutely in love with this set, and the savings is so great if you purchase it all together, that I really do believe buying it all is a must!

Product Spotlight: Wet N' Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Trio

These are an oldie but goldie. I know these shadows have been around for years but with the addition of new colors, formula improvements and such a low price-point (from $2.99-$3.49 in most drug or department stores) I feel that these deserve a detailed look. YouTube beauty gurus are constantly raving about how amazing these are and I just had to go out and purchase Walking on Eggshells and Silent Era Film as they looked to me like the most wearable neutrals. Silent Era Film is not in the regular collection, it's part of their new "Be a Runway Beauty" collection, so not every store may have this particular one.



I was pleasantly surprised to find that these colors swatch just as beautifully as they look in the pans! However, they don't have testers in the store (at least not at the Walgreens I picked them up from) so I had to just take the $3.49 risk that all would be as promised.

Exhibit A: Walking on Eggshells

This was by far the most wearable color combination, I think it works great for all skin tones, especially fair ones and I was very pleasantly surprised when I swatched these on my hand, as they really did appear exactly as the pressed color looks in the pan! I have seen this particular color combination reviewed many times so I didn't take any pictures of what it looks like on my eyes. I really like that the colors have stamped into them where they should be placed, this is a wonderful beginner's basic set. The colors are ever so slightly shimmery but I do not think that they settle into creases, especially with a nice base applied first. These are, however, very subtle colors, so if you do choose to apply them over top of your skin without an eyeshadow primer or base, you may notice that they will fade quite easily (all but the crease color which is the intensely pigmented brown). This was a great purchase, I can see why it is a staple for many in their daily makeup routine, it's probably going to become one for me as well.

Exhibit B: Silent Era Film

This color combination was more daring and the crease color really drew me in, especially because it did remind me of 1920's flapper style makeup. Immediately when I saw this in the store, I thought of luxurious fringes, The Great Gatsby and a flapper bob, so I just had to buy it. The light pink browbone is a wonderful illuminator and wakes up your eyes, the intense peach/coral is a pop of wow, and the deep gray is a wonderful anchor. If I saw these colors on their own, I would put the gray in the crease, the light pink on the inner corner of my eye and browbone highlight and the coral on the main part of my lid. I like that the way this was ordered forced me to think out of my comfort zone of placing the darkest color on the crease.

Here's what the suggested look turned out like:

I was extremely happy with the results, it was much more wearable than I had originally anticipated and I look forward to trying these colors in various placements.

In conclusion, I highly encourage everyone to purchase these Color Icon trios, they're magnificent! Even if you have higher end products, this is a great alternative and may let you hold onto your more expensive shadows for special occasions!

E.L.F. Disney Villains Limited Edition Collection

For the past 2 years, ELF has released limited edition Disney Villains collections, one per year. These are only sold at Walgreens across the U.S. and are in very high demand. There are 4 look-books in total, one for the Evil Queen, Ursula, Maleficient, and Cruella de Vil. I didn't have the privilege of getting any of these last year so I picked up 2 of the set this year. The price of these is a very affordable $9.99/each as with all ELF makeup. There are also Ardell eyelash trios available for purchase, a 12-pack of nail-polish minis from ELF, matching cosmetic bags and hair ties from Goody.

Feast your eyes on the display!!

I absolutely love the packaging for all of these and I think they would make wonderful Christmas presents for any teenager that's getting into makeup, any makeup junkie you know, or anyone who is young at heart. If I didn't have to haul these across the country since I'm not home, I probably would have picked up a lot more.

I'll do an in-depth look at the 2 look-books I purchased, the Evil Queen and Ursula. I thought Ursula's colors were the most vibrant of them so that's why I was very drawn to it and I really loved the neutrals in the Evil Queen.

This is the outer packaging:

Here's a closer look, in each lookbook you will get a palette with 6 eyeshadows, mascara, lipgloss, eye primer, black liquid eyeliner, eyeshadow brush and a black pencil liner

I think the packaging really goes above and beyond in this set. Unlike the previous set, you can choose to keep the packaging or remove all of the components if you wish, they are not embedded into the look-book. Also, on the left inner flap, there are instructions for a day look and on the right inner flap, there are instructions for a night look to achieve dramatically different eyes. The flavor text on these descriptions is extremely colorful and villainous. Although these sets appear "evil" you can achieve some very conventionally beautiful looks with them, so don't be afraid to try it out!

If these aren't your cup of tea, then you can always head over to http://www.eyeslipsface.com and pick up a myriad of other products :)

Maybelline Baby Lips, Napoleon Perdis and Skincare

Recently I stopped in a few stores and picked up a few essentials for my trip, but I also came across some new products that I was really curious to try out. I'll do a quick rundown, photos and review of each if you're curious about whether or not you should spend your money on these products. I do recommend that if you are traveling, it's the perfect time to try out new moisturizers, facial cleansers, etc. since I doubt most of us want to carry around all those liquid/cream products. Don't mind the hair ties, a girl's always gotta have some knotted hair-ties that look as good in your hair as they do on your wrist (I keep these in all my purses, in my makeup bag, in the bathroom - you never know when you'll have an up-do emergency)! I'm also uber-obsessed with the Yes to Blueberries Facial Cleansing Cloths, I picked them up for $5.99 and I think the scent is absolutely delightful. I was hooked on these when I got them in my Birchbox for the month of September.

NP Set at Target

"NP" Napoleon Perdis Eyeshadow Palette in Dublin - this is a green eyeshadow trio (comes in other colors as well) with nice pigmentation and flecks of shimmer. There are no huge chunks of glitter, but the shades are definitely far from matte. The tones remind me of olive-khaki and would be perfect for the fall. The texture is smooth and creamy. You can find these at Target, they retail for $20, but I got mine on sale for $5.06 because apparently someone had opened it but it was not swatched when I purchased it.

My favorite color is the one in the center as it brings the brightest pop,
the flanking colors are much more muted and neutral

Swatches are smooth, silver to golden flecks of sparkle can be seen
Color on the left swatches as a lighter version to right-most color
Swatched in daylight by a window on overcast day

I don't think that the NP Set colors are so extremely unique that they should be purchased for $20, as I know that Urban Decay has many dupes of the flanking colors in their Naked palettes. I do think that the center color is unique in this Dublin palette and I'm definitely glad I picked it up discounted because it's a set that is nice to have and I will use it. I wish the packaging was a little more high end for the price-point of these sets. It really reminds me of the ELF essentials collection packaging. The applicator is also totally useless as the sponge would pick up the color from your palette but not deposit it onto your eyelid properly. Definitely use a brush you already own to do your eyeshadow with this palette as with any other. You can purchase your set here.


Maybelline Baby Lips - These lip balms have intrigued me for a long time because I've seen them on YouTube as many of the gurus have had them on their "must haves". I only got one in "Peach Kiss" so my review isn't going to be as exhaustive here. I was pretty let down by these because when you apply them they literally feel like vaseline, but I will say that they have a much more pleasant smell. In terms of pigmentation, it's extremely light and when I apply it to my lips, it doesn't even appear as though there's product on them. It's fine for an everyday lip balm, especially since the price is low, but it's definitely not more spectacular than any other lip balm for moisturizing. I find that the product sits atop of my lips and doesn't sink in to moisturize. I'm sure over time I might pick up a darker color just to see if the pigmentation improves, but for now, I found this swatch of the collection, keep in mind this person is lightly pigmented and these colors going over an already-present lip color will be a lot less noticeable.

This blog has a breakdown of the specifics of each color, check it out if you want more info

POND'S Rejuveness Anti-Wrinkle Cream and Clarant B3 Dark Spot Correcting Cream - 

First of all, I absolutely love the scent of POND'S products. My absolute favorite so far is the Clarant B3 scent (in the rose tub) because it reminds me of cherry blossoms. I bought these in the small size of 1.75oz in the "travel section" of Target. They're the perfect trial size as they were only around $1. They're filled up generously to the top and it's going to take me weeks to go through these. Both of these creams absorb very easily into the skin and leave your face feeling very moisturized and soft. I apply both creams, with a wait of about 10 minutes in between to let the first one sink into my skin morning and evening (this is especially important if you use makeup wipes which typically contain alcohol and will dry out your skin). You really can't go wrong with these, the formula reminds me a little bit of the Nivea Light Repairing Night Cream, which is my favorite night cream/moisturizer. 

Jergen's Ultra Healing Extra Dry Skin Moisturizer - This is a thicker formula moisturizer that is more saturated with oils because it takes my skin a much longer time to absorb. However, I would recommend this over the POND'S formula for dry to very dry skin and I apply it if I'm having a particularly dry skin day (this is for use on your body, it does not specify that it should be used on the face). It can feel a little greasy and the scent is not as pleasant. Again, if you want to try this out, pick it up at the travel section of a store near you and then commit to the larger size if you are pleased.

3.1 Phillip Lim for Target Collection

Hi all,

I don't know if I've been living under a rock but Target has some really cool stuff... I guess I never really paid attention to how fashionable some of their items are because I assumed they were just like their counterpart (Wal-Mart) and didn't obtain anything young or hip.

I was pleasantly introduced to the Phillp Lim 3.1 limited-edition collection by my sister-in-law, and serendipitously my husband informed us at 3:30AM on the collection release date (Sept 15th/2013) that the items were up online. I guess we got lucky that he was up watching some UFC match that ran late otherwise we probably wouldn't have gotten our hands on these bags. So of course we went into crazy panic mode and bought 2 of the large bags, 5 of the smaller bags, 2 overnighter Cheetah print bags, and I got a weird-looking sweater-dress. We also went into the store and battled the masses, but we only walked away with one small black bag.

When they arrived, I absolutely loved these bags (with yellow being my favorite) and they even have side zippers so you can configure them as shown in the taupe (appears grayish) purse, the pricepoint was $34.99/each:

Phillip Lim for Target 3.1 - Mini Satchel with Gusset  (Yellow)

Phillip Lim for Target 3.1 - Mini Satchel with Gusset (Taupe)

Phillip Lim for Target 3.1 - Mini Satchel with Gusset (Black)

I was even more thrilled a few days later that my overnight bag (only sold online) arrived just as my husband and I booked our plane tickets for a flight to Portland, OR scheduled for the very next day for a freelance booking. The bag pulls up about to double its size (shown in second photo). Now the only real problem with this bag is that it is really intended only for traveling, you can't walk around with it too much, if you pack it too full you will barely be able to get it over your arm, and it'll feel very uncomfortable. That being said, it's a terrifically made bag for its pricepoint ($49.99) and it is quite large, I was able to fit 3 large sweaters, 2 jackets, a scarf, my enormous makeup case and misc. other items.

Phillip Lim for Target 3.1 - Canvas Tote

My sister-in-law, also named Alex, purchased the large bag for herself as well. It's super cute and roomy, I personally love the taupe version of this bag, but she prefers the black so it'll match everything she wears. This bag did seem very large, you could pretty easily fit a laptop in there and I think it's probably an amazing bag for work. They also offered an online-only color of this bag in a deep purple.

 




I have yet to see the sweater-dress, so I will update you guys later on that one, as it arrived after we had already left NYC for Portland. For those of you that are not from the US, you can purchase these items all over eBay, it's pretty flooded with the collection. But buyer beware, I really thought that the majority of the clothes were very poorly made and definitely did not warrant the high price-point (at least in comparison to other Target clothes).

Let me know if you purchased anything from the Phillip Lim for Target 3.1 collection and what you think about it in the comments section below!

DIY Anthropologie-Inspired Hip Cinched Blouse

This is a fabulous DIY t-shirt idea that can be translated into all sorts of different pieces - you can use this technique on the bottoms of shirts, skirts, pant legs, etc. It's really an idea you can take anywhere your creativity guides you!

All you'll need for this project is:

A shirt

1 piece of fabric

1 ribbon

Sewing machine (or your meticulous little fingers and a needle with some color-coordinated thread)

1. Find a shirt and turn it inside out.

2. Lay your ribbon down and cut a piece of fabric large enough to cover your ribbon and pin the piece down

3. Sew on the fabric, making 3 large stitches, between the ribbon and on each side.

4. Cinch and tie and you've completed your project!

DIY Color-Blocking Clutch by Lauren Conrad

Hello to all of my wonderful and loyal fans. I've been away on hiatus for very long now because I started a new job and I wanted to give it everything I had and, frankly, I was way too tired to do any blogging.

Now that I've settled in, I wanted to welcome you all back by showing you this Color-blocking DIY Clutch video by Lauren Conrad's Crafty Creations. To my surprise, I found this browsing the web and it spurred a revival in my interest in arts & crafts once more!!

I'm so thankful that many of you have stuck around and this blog has gotten infinitely more popular than when I left it 3 months ago. I'm going to be picking up with the posts again and hope you will stay tuned for more wonderful beauty, craft and lifestyle ideas from yours truly.

- Alex